Re: Nikkah is MARRIAGE
People legitimitely use it as a way to interact with the other sex and plan for the future without doing haram things. The problem is that people see it as if it is not as serious as “real” marriage. And if problems occur during the nikkah period, they are more comfortable breaking it off.
The other thing is the movements of the bride and groom become restricted after the nikkah, as parents are in the “what will people say? ruksati is not done yet” mode. And they can’t technically stop them from doing whatever they want, as they are married now. it becomes a weird, awkward state.